James, Earl of Wessex, will be receiving some potentially life altering news today, with the royal set to pick up his GCSE results.
The son of Prince Edward and Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, is one of many teenagers across Britain to find out their results. James is believed to have taken his exams very seriously, missing Trooping the Colour amidst exam season earlier this year.
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When his older sister, Louise, who is now studying English at the University of St Andrews, received her results, they were not made public. It is expected the news of 16-year-old's results will follow in the same stead.
Like his sister Lady Louise Windsor, James has grown up largely out of the spotlight, although he joins his parents, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh (formerly the Earl and Countess of Wessex) for high profile engagements including the coronation. He attended Eagle House School until 2021, when he moved to Radley College.
At the start of this year, the BBC’s royal correspondent Jennie Bond told OK!, ‘James, Earl of Wessex, is currently gearing up for the first big test of his school life… his GCSEs’. She added, ‘Like most 16-year-olds, it's a tough time for him - although it's unlikely that his results will be made public.
The royal correspondent revealed how his parents, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, have ‘tried very hard’ to allow the royal to have a predominantly ‘normal’ upbringing, saying he will ‘never’ be a full-time royal.
She explained, ‘Sophie and Edward have been incredibly successful about keeping their children out of the limelight… James even more so than Louise. But by all accounts, he is an outgoing young man who will take his rightful place at official occasions, but will never be a full-time working royal.’
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Sophie has previously spoken of teaching James and Lady Louise that they may ‘work for a living’, telling The Times, ‘We try to bring them up with the understanding they are very likely [going] to have to work for a living. Hence why we made the decision not to use HRH titles. They have them and can decide to use them from 18, but I think it's highly unlikely.’
The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, as well as their children, James and Louise, are expected at the Royal family's annual summer retreat at Balmoral. It is unknown when the family will arrive to Aberdeenshire, though Sophie and Edward arrived in Scotland earlier this week, and were pictured attending church in Edinburgh. Meanwhile, King Charles has already arrived at the estate.
